This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention. The following discussion is intended to provide information to facilitate a better understanding of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that statements in the following discussion are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Some portable scaffold units have locking pins that can rotate, leaving the handle portion exposed outside the envelope of the scaffold unit. When the handle portion of the locking pin is exposed, this allows the locking pin to be involuntarily disengaged.
FIG. 1 is a detailed view of the area near a common locking pin assembly. The handle of the locking pin has been rotated to extend outside the envelope of the scaffold unit where it can accidentally be contacted, possibly causing disengagement.
FIG. 6 shows a prior art solution of this problem. A spring and pin design for enabling the side braces to engage the end frames. They have a pin that goes through a guard, C-channel and the end frame. The pin is held in the engaged position by means of a spring. The spring is retained between the guard and a nut that is threaded onto the pin. The pin is in the engaged position at all times unless actuated by the user. The pin is actuated by means of a disk that is connected to the retaining nut. The user places their palm against the guard and places their fingers on the nut side of the disk. They pull the disk towards their palm until the pin disengages. This design has all moving parts within the envelope of the scaffold.
FIG. 7 shows another prior art solution of the aforementioned problem. A spring and pin design is used for enabling the side braces to engage the end frames. They have a pin that goes through a piece of angle, square tubing and a C-channel and the end frame. The pin is held in the engaged position by means of a spring. The spring is retained between the piece of angle and the square tubing. The pin is connected to the spring by means of a roll pin. The pin is actuated by means of a handle at one end. The pin is in the engaged position at all times unless actuated by the user. The user pulls the handle away from the end frame to disengage. The handle of the pin is free to rotate outside the envelope of the scaffold unless the user locks it in place. The handle is locked in place by pushing the handle towards the end frame and hooking it onto the piece of angle. This design locks all moving parts from being able to rotate outside the envelope of the scaffold.
The present invention involves a new locking pin design that will prevent the handle portion from rotating outside of the envelope of the scaffold.